Farmhouse Photo Serving Tray

From Gilded to Grounded: A Standing Jewelry Armoire's Dark Moody Transformation

Sometimes, a "bright and airy" makeover just doesn’t fit the vibe. I found this standing jewelry armoire after it had already been given a white and gold facelift by someone else, but it felt a bit too "glam" for many people. I knew it had the potential to be something much more sophisticated, mysterious, and—of course— moody . In this tutorial, I’m taking you through the process of retaining some of the previous DIY and layering on a deep, velvety dark green finish. We’ll be leaning into those shadows, highlighting the unique curved silhouette. Whether you're looking to tone down a piece that's "too bright" or you're ready to embrace the dark academia aesthetic, here is how I turned a high-contrast piece into a seamless, moody masterpiece.

From mass produced dark to one of a kind farmhouse white finish for this photo display serving tray.

Here is the before shot prior to the glass being removed and all pieces cleaned well.

Here are my farmhouse projects ready to do all in Dixie Belle Paint in drop cloth; a pretty warm white: An antique solid wood tray, a pretty basket and this photo tray along with this black tray that is being milk painted grey.

And here they are getting coat #1 of the drop cloth. I recently did a solid wood dining table in it too.

Two coats of drop cloth were painted on then sanded smooth and a bit of distressing to reveal the original dark wood. It was all sealed with Dixie Belle's easy peasy spray wax with additional detailing with a dark wax to give an aged appearance.